You are welcome to come and view the lots at our saleroom; viewing details are shown in the ‘Auction Info’ for each sale. All lots are published and illustrated online on our bidding platform, easyliveauction.com and the-saleroom.com.

Bidders can request condition reports and additional images for lots in our auctions. Please submit requests early to enable us to meet demand, your enquiry will be handled as quickly as possible.
Please click here to view our Information for Buyers which details our terms and conditions of buying at auction as well as other useful information.

Return, Refund and Cancellation Policy

Prospective bidders are advised to personally inspect all items they intend to bid on as all lots are 'sold as seen' and the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply.

Morphets do not offer returns or refunds or allow customers to cancel their invoices. The fall of the hammer forms a legally binding contract. Please refer to Morphets' terms and conditions.

All clients, regardless of the method of bidding, are required to register for a bidding number and provide us with full contact details including name and company name if applicable, address, telephone number and email address.

All lots will be invoiced to the name and address on the registration. You may be required to provide proof of identity, e.g. driver’s licence or utility bill, or required to leave a £50 deposit. Your details remain entirely confidential and all buyers remain anonymous.

You can:

• Register at our offices and saleroom if you are attending to bid in person
• Register on our bidding platform, easyliveauction.com or the-saleroom.com if you wish to bid online in real time.  Both platforms will also accept commission bids.
   

Bidding in the room
Each time you wish to bid on an item raise your paddle to attract the auctioneer’s attention who will continue to take increasing bids from interested parties until all but one person drops out. The auctioneer will then bring the hammer down and record the final bidder’s paddle number and the hammer price. Please remember, when the hammer goes down you have made a legally binding contract with Morphets.

Commission Bids
This is for the convenience of buyers who cannot attend the sale and can be done in a number of ways.
If visiting the saleroom ask at reception for a form, fill in your details and then write down the lot number(s) and the highest price(s) you wish to bid up to. Take care to enter the correct item lot number and description.
Alternatively, if viewing the sale on Morphets website you can easily register to bid and place an autobid.  The platform will automatically bid on the lots on your behalf, whilst the sale is in progress, up to your maximum bid, at the lowest possible price.

Telephone bidding
For those wishing to engage more directly with the bidding but who are unable to attend the sale, a telephone bid can be arranged. You will receive a call from a bidding clerk shortly before your lot is to be offered who will then relay your bids to the auctioneer. As available lines can quickly become booked bidders are advised to request a telephone bid as early as possible and for the Fine Art and Antiques catalogue sales no later than 5pm the day before the sale. Please email enquiries@morphets.co.uk with all the details.

Internet Bidding via Morphets website, easyliveauction.com or the-saleroom.com
All Morphets sales are sold live on the internet; you can bid via our website, easyliveauction.com or the-saleroom.com which enables you to watch, hear and bid in real time from your computer or device. Please remember that clicking the bid button is a commitment to buy.
Before the sale you will be able to browse lot descriptions and images in the online catalogue.
To bid online you will need to register for the auction on your preferred platform; our website, easyliveauction.com or the-saleroom.com.
You will see the lots on your computer screen at the same time as they appear in our auction room and your bids will be relayed directly to the auctioneer. A live audio feed will allow you to experience the atmosphere of the sale and to hear your bids as you make them.
Please note bids through our website or easyliveauction.com levy an additional charge of 3% of the hammer price (plus VAT), or alternatively you can pay a flat fee of £3 (inclusive of VAT) per sale. Lots purchased via the-saleroom.com attract an additional charge of 4.95% + VAT of the hammer price.

Buyer's Premium
All lots are subject to a Buyer's Premium of 20% which is subject to VAT at the standard rate.

Internet Commission
Lots purchased via our website or easyliveauction.com will attract an additional charge for this service of 3% plus VAT of the hammer price. Alternatively, you may pay a flat fee of £3 (inclusive of VAT) to register for an individual auction with no additional internet bidding surcharge levied. This charge is made by and passed on to easyliveauction.com. 
Please note lots purchased online via the-saleroom.com website will attract an additional charge for this service in the sum of 4.95% plus VAT of the hammer price. This charge is made by and passed on to the-saleroom.com

Artist's Resale Rights
Lots will be identified in the catalogue and/or announced by the auctioneer as being subject to Artist's Resale Rights. The buyer agrees to pay Morphets an amount equal to the resale royalty and we will pay such amount to the artist's collecting agent. Resale royalty applies where the hammer price is £1,000 or more and the royalty amount cannot be more than 12,500 Euros per lot. The amount is calculated as follows:

Royalty   For the portion of the Hammer Price
4.00%    up to £50,000
3.00%    between £50,000.01 and £200,000
1.00%    between £200,000.01 and £350,000
0.50%    between £350,000.01 and £500,000
0.25%    in excess of £500,000

Invoices will be issued in Pounds Sterling. 

Storage
Please note, in accordance with our terms and conditions, all purchases should be collected no later than two working days following the day of auction after which time lots will be removed to our secure storage facilities at your cost and storage charges will apply.

Export and Licences
It is the responsibility of the purchaser to obtain any export licence and our terms and conditions for payment remain unchanged.
If you are a buyer from outside the UK and have bought a lot that attracts VAT on the hammer price this may be refunded, in line with current legislation, on production of the relevant shipping documents as required by and to the satisfaction of HMRC.
Please note VAT on buyer’s premium is not reclaimable.

Methods of Payment
After the sale you will receive an invoice by email detailing the lots you have purchased and including a payment link and our bank details.

All purchases must be paid for no later than two working days following the sale.

We also accept the following forms of payment at our office:
Debit Card
Credit Card
Cheques: Goods will only be released on cleared cheques.
Cash: Within current Anti Money Laundering limits

Bank Transfer:
Payment should be made to Barclays Bank, Harrogate HG1 1QX
Account name: Morphets of Harrogate Ltd
Account Number: 63655334
Sort code: 20-37-13
Please use your bidder number as a reference
International Bank Transfers:
Payment should be made to Barclays Bank, Harrogate HG1 1QX
Account name: Morphets of Harrogate Ltd
IBAN Number: GB 79 BARC 203713 63655334
SWIFT (BIC). BARC GB 22
Please ensure that all bank charges are borne by your issuing bank

1. Introduction
The following informative notes are intended to assist Buyers, particularly those inexperienced or new to our salerooms. All sales are conducted subject to our Conditions of Sale which are detailed on all bidding platforms and available from our office. Our staff will be happy to help you if there is anything you do not fully understand.

2. Agency
As auctioneers we act as agents for the seller whose identity, for reasons of confidentiality, is not disclosed. Accordingly, if you buy your primary contract is with the seller.

3. Estimates
Estimates are designed to help buyers gauge what sort of sum might be involved for the purchase of a particular lot. The lower estimate may represent the reserve price and certainly will not be below it. Estimates do not include the Buyer’s Premium, internet surcharge or VAT (where chargeable). Estimates are prepared some time before the sale and may be altered by announcement before the sale. They are in no sense definitive.

4. Buyer’s Premium
The Conditions of Sale oblige buyers to pay a buyer’s premium at 20% of the hammer price of each lot purchased. Buyer’s premium is subject to VAT at the current rate.

5. Internet Surcharge
Lots purchased via our website or easyliveauction.com will attract an additional charge for this service of 3% plus VAT of the hammer price. Alternatively, you may pay a flat fee of £3 (inclusive of VAT) to register for an individual auction with no additional internet bidding surcharge levied. This charge is made by and passed on to easyliveauction.com. 
Please note lots purchased online via the-saleroom.com website will attract an additional charge for this service in the sum of 4.95% plus VAT of the hammer price. This charge is made by and passed on to the-saleroom.com

6. VAT
If VAT is to be applied to a lot this will be shown in the Fees section within the lot description on all online platforms. This indicates that there is a VAT element payable by the purchaser at the standard rate on the hammer price as well as being payable on the buyer’s premium. The charging of VAT is likely to be because the seller is registered for VAT and is not operating the Dealers Margin Scheme. Lots which are not shown as being subject to VAT are either private sales or sold using the Auctioneers’ Margin Scheme and, if so, it should be noted that the VAT included within the Premium is not recoverable as input tax.

7. Conditions of lots
Please note carefully the exclusion of liability for the condition of lots contained in the Conditions of Sale. Intending buyers have ample opportunity for inspection of goods and neither the seller nor we as the auctioneers accept any responsibility for their condition. In particular, mechanical objects of any age are not guaranteed to be in working order. However, in specified circumstances, lots misdescribed because they are ‘deliberate forgeries’ may be returned and repayment made. There is a 3 week time limit. (The expression ‘deliberate forgery’ is defined in our Conditions of Sale).

8. Condition reports
We may be able to assist buyers unable to view by providing a condition report, but these reports are based solely on our own opinion and are for guidance only and no responsibility is accepted for their accuracy. The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is free from fault. Intending buyers are strongly encouraged to view. (Please see our Conditions of Sale).

9. Electrical goods
Electrical items are PAT tested prior to sale if wiring is present. This is to check that the item is electrically safe, but is not necessarily an indication that it is in working order. No warranty is given with any lot.

10. Export of goods
It is the responsibility of buyers intending to export goods to ascertain (a) whether an export licence is required and (b) whether there is any specific prohibition on export/import of goods of that character.

CITES
Please be aware that some lots may be subject to CITES regulations when exporting. It is the purchaser’s responsibility to obtain any necessary licence; for more information please visit www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/imports-exports/cites/

11. Bidding Number
Bidders are required to register before the sale commences and lots will be invoiced to the name and address at registration. You will need a bidding number which is available free of charge. You may be requested to provide current identification that can confirm your name and address. Under certain circumstances, you may be required to leave a deposit which will be set against your invoice if successful or refunded to you after the sale if no bids are registered to your number.

12. Commission bidding
Commission bids may be left with the auctioneers indicating the maximum amount to be bid excluding buyer’s premium. They will be executed as cheaply as possible having regard to the reserve (if any) and competing bids. If two buyers submit identical commission bids the auctioneers will operate the first bid received. Confirmation of any bids taken over the telephone must be made in writing (email or post) by 9am on the day of the sale.

13. Methods of Payment
Methods of Payment
After the sale you will receive an invoice by email detailing the lots you have purchased and including a payment link and our bank details.
All purchases must be paid for no later than two working days following the sale.
We also accept the following forms of payment at our office:
Debit Card
Credit Card
Cheques: Goods will only be released on cleared cheques.
Cash: Within current Anti Money Laundering limits.
Bank Transfer:
Payment should be made to Barclays Bank, Harrogate HG1 1QX
Account name: Morphets of Harrogate Ltd
Account Number: 63655334
Sort code: 20-37-13
Please ensure you use your bidder number and sale date as a reference.
International Bank Transfers:
Payment should be made to Barclays Bank, Harrogate HG1 1QX
Account name: Morphets of Harrogate Ltd
IBAN Number: GB 79 BARC 203713 63655334
SWIFT (BIC). BARC GB 22
Please ensure that all issuing and receiving bank charges are borne by your issuing bank

14. Collection and storage
Please note what the Conditions of Sale state about collection and storage. It is important that goods are paid for and collected promptly. Any delay may involve the buyer in paying our storage charges and the cost of removal to store.

Glossary of Terms concerning the attribution of paintings and drawings
(i)  The christian name(s) and surname of the artist indicates in our opinion a work by the artist.
(ii) The initials of the christian name(s) and the surname of the artist indicate in our opinion a work of the period of the artist which may be wholly or in part his work.
(iii) The surname only of the artist indicates in our opinion a work of the school or by one of the followers of the artist or in his style and of uncertain date.
(iv) 'Bears signature' indicates in our opinion that this is not the signature of the artist.
(v) The name of the artist preceded by 'After' indicates in our opinion a copy of the work of the artist.

Notice to buyers of gemstones/jewels
Many coloured gemstones have been subjected to a variety of treatments designed to enhance their appearance, for example heating is regularly used to improve colour or transparency in rubies and sapphires. Other treatments such as oiling, enhance the clarity of emeralds. Other coloured gemstones may have undergone permanent or semi-permanent treatments such as dyeing, irradiation, coating and impregnation, which may require further re-treatment in order to retain their appearance. The jewellery trade generally accepts these treatments.

Prospective purchasers should assume all gemstones will have been treated unless statements are made to the contrary. Recent advancements in technology have led to some diamonds being treated in a variety of ways designed to enhance their appearance. These treatments can include fracture filling, laser drilling, irradiation and coating. Every effort is made to identify such treatments, however it is not possible for Morphets to guarantee that all lots containing diamonds are free of these enhancements.

All dimensions and estimated weights of gemstones have been determined without unsetting the stones and are therefore only approximate because of limitations imposed by the mount.  Estimated weights are normally calculated by applying standard formulae to the measurements taken.

Artists resale rights
In accordance with Artists Resale Rights Regulations 2006, all lots marked ARR which sell for £1,000 or more are subject to a resale royalty charge (‘Royalty’). This Royalty is payable by the Bidder. The Royalty will be charged at a rate of 4% of the hammer price (exclusive of buyer’s premium which is payable under clause 8a) for lots selling for amounts up to the equivalent of £50,000. For lots selling in excess of the equivalent of £50,001, the Royalty shall be calculated at a reduced rate (details available on request). The Royalty is not subject to VAT.